Favourable wind, rain and aggressive firefighting help keep huge fires from advancing closer to communities
Justice and Public Safety Minister John Hogan, Premier Andrew Furey and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Elvis Loveless provide an update Tuesday on massive wildfires in central Newfoundland and their impact on people and communities, at the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre in St. John’s. GLEN WHIFFEN • THE TELEGRAMST. JOHN'S, N.L.
“People need to still have a heightened sense of readiness, not panicked, but be ready should the conditions change. We all live in Newfoundland and Labrador and we know the weather can change in a heartbeat," Furey said. “That’s why we took the responsible move of evacuating vulnerable people first, people in hospital beds, in acute-care facilities, long-term care homes, because you can’t evacuate them in a minute. Because if we say ‘go now,’ it’s too late to see who’s taking John in the stretcher, or who is taking Aunt Marg who can’t get out of her house and is in a wheelchair. So this is why we wanted to do this in an orderly fashion, so if we do have to evacuate these communities, No.
A late-day news release warned that overnight visibility may be reduced and residents should drive carefully on the highway. The decision to keep the highway open will be reassessed Wednesday morning, as weather and visibility conditions could change.
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